Mummies in Australia?

Hi Ryatie,
I think that's the best arrangement... always good for at least one person to settle first. That was what my husband did. He came over at least a year before we joined him.

As for rental, it can be really quick. We managed to move into the rental place within two weeks of securing and signing for it... or even sooner for some
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andrea
a yr is quite a long duration..ya...definately will tell hubby 2 du so cos i dun intend 2 quit my job till hubby get a job there...2 weeks is pretty fast.

du u have any reliable job website for me to browse?
 
Hi Ryatie
Yeah... a year can be quite long... but I had a fulltime job in Sg back then, and had to serve out the year (as I was teaching)... so it worked out for all of us. It gave hubby time to really settle in too, and set up home :D

Impt thing is not to rush... it can be a very stressful and exhausting process...

As for jobsites, there are a few here... I'm not sure if they are really reliable. Mebbe Mngo can help out here...

Anyway the sites are:
www.careerone.com.au
www.mycareer.com.au
www.seek.com.au

Alternatively, if you are to join a particular industry, or know of individual companies/organisations, just go to their websites directly and look under employment opportunities. For instance, when I first came over, I was interested only in the education sector, so I just went to individual schools' websites and sent out resumes... HTH
 
Hi Hen, mngo & Andrea

Very good to know there are some more S'porean or ex-S'porean mums around! It's amazing how when one is thrown out of the comfort zone of home and help etc, all of a sudden I'm making new friends at this ripe old age (ha ha). Had yummy "hawker" food from collins st today and for the first time in 2 months felt chemically home sick-? food related??Don't know.
Any of you feel the stress esp with school going kids coming back with "I'm not friends with so and so anymore"-son had that experience with the first friend he made at school and I felt kinda bad. I guess kids will face that everyday of their lives as they grow and mum will just have to learn to let them fight their own battles!
 
octopus,

My girl recently came home and tell me that 2 Asian girls are not talking to her in school. One of them is the very 1st friend she made on her 1st day of school. Anyway, we explain to her that sometimes people just choose who they want to make friends with. Since she still got other friends/classmates that she talks to or play with, told her not to worry about it. We told her every year she will make more and more new friends.
 
mngo,
good to hear your boy is getting along fine. How old is he?
hen,
I understand Willeton has got a bigger proportion of Asians? One of the Asian parents I met at my boy's school felt that it would make her feel more comfortable although her husband prefered the current school. I guess coming in November would have made looking for rental easier. We had to compete with quite a few pp in January esp when we started initially by looking at suburbs North and around the city - up to Morley! Thanks for sharing about your dg's experience. Having been used to being a racial majority back home, one has to remember that even as a racial minority here, it's quite an equal opportunity country ;) Funnily enough that first friend was a scottish boy who had spent 1 plus yr in S'pore.
 
octopus
he's 4. in kindy this year. mmm it's either he couldnt be bothered with people around him, or he only sticks to one friend :p - lol!

which school is your boy in?
 
Hi mngo,
He's at the public school at Applecross. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the layout of the public schools here, so Kampong styled -flat, scattered and definitely not as crowded!
Hen,
What made u decide to school your dg here? She would have been in Primary 1 in S'pore? Any idea what happens if you attend the school in your suburb initially but for whatever reason e.g can't find a place you like to rent in that suburb and you move to an area outside the "boundary" of that school? That's the thing about renting -a bit unpredictable yet it gives you the flexibility to move around depending on your needs.
 
Octopus
maybe i can help you with your question.
you can stay anywhere that is out of the zone, if it's primary school. but if it's high school, esp good ones, they are very strict with zone division, so if you do not stay within the radius, you will not get a place. eg - rossmoyne

my boy is in rehoboth - and also not crowded at all. very small intake
 
hi mummies
so happy to find this thread which seems so active still. i'm an SAHM in SG now wif a coming 3 year old daughter. Exploring to accompany my hb for an overseas posting in Aus. Wanna get ur thots on why u settled in the city u chose? We r kinda deciding btw Melbourne, Perth or Sydney. What factors did u take into account? r they all good places to raise a young toddler?
 
Hi everyone, it's lovely to see an active thread for Perth/Sg mums. Wonder if there are regular meetups as well, would love to join.

A little about myself, I'm in my late twenties, came here late last year after getting married(husband is Perth local), we're in the western suburbs and have a 1 yr old girl.

I'm currently a SAHM. Hope to hear from other mothers.
 
can anyone share wif me on the taxation laws in Aus?

if my hb works there but we're not applying for PR there yet, does he pay taxes in Australia or SG? How much taxes in Aus? Any benefits that we get from the Aussie govt if we pay taxes there? Hmm cos wondering if disposable income would be much reduced if taxed in Australia...
 
Hi Cheri, I think Australian-sourced income will be taxed in Australia irregardless of one's PR status. Basically, I think, Australian resident pays tax on ALL income whereas non-resident pays tax only on income which has an Australian source. Personal tax is around 30% if I remember correctly.

If you are a PR and you pay tax here you will enjoy benefits such as the baby bonus ($5,000). You may want to check the centrelink website.

This is of course a very brief answer, do check the ato website - www.ato.gov.au
 
Cheri,

Taxation here is very complex here. If u are not PR and base on work visa, different companies have different arrangements with the govt. But you will be taxed in one country only, so depends on where your source of income is.

Only PR can enjoy benefits and of course get taxed like any other Aussies.

Go to the ATO website given by Sarah to find out.
 
sarah & manta
thanks a lot for the site link & explanations...sounds complex haha. Due to the low AU$ now, we r oso not sure if we should negot his remuneration package in SGD, USD or AUD? so many things to find out! headache hahah
 
Hi to all the moms on this thread. I would like to propose a get together to get some social,emotional,intellectual etc etc support. May I propose a picnic at a park one weekend.
We can take a vote on location.
Options
Kings Park - lotterywest family area
Point Walter - next to the large shaded playground

Any other suggestions? If there are not enough of us interested in attending, perhaps the other option would be something like a mid morning tea at a coffee shop?

Cheri,
I spent 7 yrs in Sydney about 10 yrs ago-it's really quite different from Perth. I think when the kids are really young, Perth is a wonderful place to grow up in that the pace is slower, it's really family orientated (ha, the shops are not opened on the weekend!), there are many many spacious,free parks, sports is readily available and affordable. When they get older, prob the bigger city maybe more exciting --don't know, just a personal feeling. My kids are not at that stage yet. Melbourne routinely wins near to top spot for one of the best cities to live in the world -so i am sure it's lovely.
 
Hi Octopus,
I think that's a great idea!
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For SAHM moms, mebbe a morning tea/coffee session just for moms would be great too...

Er, but for now, I can only suggest :p Still recuperating... it'll be some time before I can join you all
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I'm no longer SAHM, so can only meet on weekends.

Andrea, now then u suggest morning tea/coffee session, makes me lagi more sianz abt working. U very naughty leh.
 
Hi mummies, i'm planning to a holiday to perth farmstay with my two toddlers next mth.
I need some advise on which farmstay resort is great for kids as i'm thinking of going free & easy.
 
Dear mommies,

May I know if Wembley is a safe place to stay for family? Am looking for short term rental, fully furnished and it seems that Wembley comes up frequently during the search. If not, any other affordable suggestion?

Thanks a lot.
 
Gosh...u sound so aloof and unwelcome. It doesn't hurt to help passerby out. I did try to search but couldn't find the link and just happened to see this thread to ask for advise. And pls do not reply to my message as i will not step into this thread anymore.
 
Gosh... sounds like a bad case of PMS..

I tried doing a search using the word "Perth" and the related thread came out in the 4th search result...

http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/353635/432665.html

Anyway, mngo gave a lot of advice in the above thread. It's not really fair to her to keep repeating herself if the person asking for advise couldn't find the related thread. (Not to mention that thread pops up so very often. One just need to have a keener pair of eyes in keeping track of threads that interests her (esp so when one has a poor usage of the search function). >_>)

Since you have set up your inpression abt mngo without even knowing her in person, you can kindly ingore the advice she gave in that thread. Advice given by a no-good person will probably be a load of craps anyway.

Cheers
 
Hi mummies!

I'm currently a SAHM in perth. Hv been here for almost 2 years now. Glad to know there are so many other mummies from Singapore too!

I see that there are quite a few of you staying in the southern suburbs. I'm staying in South Perth currently. For those who hv placed your kids in childcare, may i ask which one did u'all choose? I've been trying to find reviews on childcare but not much luck on the net.. Thanks ;)
 
Hi Lavendar
welcome to the thread :D I tried starting a thread on the local Bub Hub, but I guess it's not quite the same
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Somehow SgMotherhood has the local flavour for us all.

I've also moved here about 2 years now (since June '07). So far so good... I think we are living the furthest away (about a half hour from the city)
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With regards to childcare, when i was looking for one, I used this site http://careforkids.com.au/ I found one in Canning Vale although it's quite a distance from my place. But my boys love it, and my husband and I like it too... the carers there are really nice and they interact well with the children. I had my boy in ABC previously, and it was a horrific experience. So... travelling that distance is worth it for us
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As for reviews... quite difficult to find them... I think coz the country is so much bigger... and there are so many states. That's why their forums are not as informative as ours either, but there are some good info you can get off them...
 
Thanks mngo.

Though jamci said she will never ever read this thread again, i still want to say that SHE is the rude one..

I find the forum informative and the members very helpful. For this, thanks again!
 
SY,

Hahahaha, don't worry about jamci not reading your reply...

Those who say they won't come in are usually the ones that will lurk around to see if there's any comments about her or perhaps siding with her... :p

And you know being women, it's hard to keep our curosity down... so chances are... we have a lurker in this thread... :p
 
Thanks, Andrea.

Yeah, i did check out bubhub but that was really quiet.. this forum is better ;)

I've been doing my research on the careforkids website for the past few weeks. Narrowed down 2 childcare centres near my place and is on their waitlist now. One told me at least 6 months, the other was worse.. waiting period is 18-24 months! So i'm thinking perhaps i shld widen my options thus trying to ask around if u mummies know which are the ok ones ;) I thot of finding those that ain't too far from my place coz when i start working, i dun think i'll have much time to travel too far to send my boy to childcare then head to work. Was considering a few at Vic Park but my hubby is not v keen coz he always felt Vic Park is not a safe area... sighh..

It was good that u manage to find a childcare that you and your boys love. Was it like a trial-and-error process for you or did someone recommend you the Canning Vale one? Btw, are u working or SAHM? I read that quite a few of u are SAHMs but haha.. too many names.. i also can't remember who's who.. getting me confused ;p
 
octopus
i felt bored in sydney when i went for a hol there last year haha. Hope melbourne would be better. Btw,there doesn't seem to be any melbourne thread rite? Only managed to connect wif one mummy who's in melbourne now
sad.gif
looks like most mummies r in perth! too bad hb's biz opportunities r mostly in melb or sydney.
 
Hi SY
thanks
happy.gif
. that's alright with me actually.
My reply to refer to another thread is so short that i could not be bothered to find the thread for her :p lol.
Hidora was kind enough to do a search, and even pasted the link.

I am not the kind one. hahaha
 
hi mngo,

yup, the one at south perth but not montessori leh. it's the uniting church in australia south perth childcare.. hv u tried applying too??
 
Hi Lavender,
Yeah, the waitlist here is quite terrible... I basically tried to find one where there were two vacancies for both my boys at that time. Also, our search included areas that were on the way to work for either my husband and me. In the end, we decided on this one, coz it was mid-way for both of us.

It wasn't really a trial-and-error process. I made my research and came up with at least 5 centres, and we just drove to these places to have a look at the place on a weekend. And it was generally a 'feel' of how we would like the place. Some of these centres were really old and run-down... and I just couldn't imagine leaving my sons in those centres. Fortunately, this one at Canning Vale is quite new, and we had a good 'vibe' i guess... So I just enrolled them, and thankfully, it worked for the boys... We were really grateful.

My older one doesn't go to it anymore as he's in full-day school. But my younger one is still there, and he loves the carers and has lots of friends there.

Currently, I'm on a year's maternity leave, so I guess I'm SAHM now :D And like you, yes, it is pretty confusing sometimes with so many moms and nicknames :D Could I propose we start a list with contact details (just basic ones, like email if anyone is uncomfortable with phone details and address) and our real names at least?
happy.gif
Just a suggestion... for old fogies like me and deteriorating short/long-term memory... :p
 
Hi mommies

I'm about to panic now. Heading down to perth this sunday (just by myself first). Just found out that to get a pre-school or kindi is not so easy. My gal is 4 years old now but apparently you can't go to pre-school till you are 5 years old. Is that right? And from what Lavender mention the waitlist is quite long...

Was intending to bring her across next month but the more i find out, the more i get confuse...
Does the school depends on where you stay? Like some kind of boundaries? As some of you might know, i have been browsing for a place to stay and i now targeting around Belmont, Riverdale & cloverdale area.. (Not taking the childcare at Osbourne Park anymore, too far from my current work place at Ascot)

At first i thought childcare but she seems to big for that already.. Wah, so much to consider... How you mummies get it started? Scout for school first or house first?

So clueless now...

Hen: Vima sends regards to you..
 
Hi Piglet
I don't think pre-school or kindy is an issue. It's only childcare that has a long waitlist. You don't have to worry about location if you are intending to enrol your child in a private school. That is not dependent on where you stay. However, if you are planning to enrol in a public school, then location matters. Usually, you attend the school in the zone (suburb) that you live in. You could check with Mngo on this as well.

As for childcare, it's a premium here... that's why there are long waitlists everywhere... it's longer if the centre is very good.

You mentioned that your daughter is 4yo, so you can enrol her in Kindy. In some schools, Kindy is 4 half-days, while others is 2 full-days. You might then want to place her in childcare for the days that she is not in Kindy. Once she is in Pre-Primary, that is 5 full-days, which means that she doesn't really need childcare if you are able to work part-time. Otherwise, you may still have to arrange for her to be in childcare.

If your childcare centre is close to her school, then they can arrange for pick-up -- in which case she is in an after-school care program.

Er... I hope I haven't confused you
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But feel free to holler for help
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Piglet
if you put her in public school, then it has to be near where you stay. if you put your gal in private school, then private school will do.

my boy will go to childcare soon. he's also 4 and i've enrolled him in non state school.
 
piglet,

Andrea has provided most of the basic info to u. If u hv narrowed down a few public schs that u want to put your kid in, suggest u go to the schs' website to check the boundary (ie the area that is within the sch zone). If u r within the boundary, your kid gets to be in the sch, no waiting list. But if u choose to stay out of the boundary, then it depends on the sch whether they can accept u (depends on whether they got vacancy).

Here's a link that you can use to find the public schools in the area that you are targetting.
http://www2.eddept.wa.edu.au/schoolprofile/home.do
 
hey andrea,

yeah, think a contact list will be a good idea. i personally find it v tough to be away from home esp with a kid in tow now, so hopefully we all can have each other for support ;) shall i pm u my details??
 
Hi Lavender,
Sure thing...
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I was experimenting with Yahoo groups, and came up with something simple... I can send you the link
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You could send me your details as well
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Hi Lavender,
my 3 year old goes to childcare at ABC. This centre was recommended by a friend who used to send her 3 yr old there when she lived in the area. The carer for his class is an Indonesian chinese gal who has been here for a while. She is pretty good and I have confidence in her. So far, I think they have done a satisfactory job. The 2 ABC centres that I visited were bright, clean and new-ish so at least I was sure the physical environment would be ok. I visited a few around where I live and they were small, dark and had a "wild wild west" feel.
I tried for a very short while a montessori in Shenton Park but believe me, it makes a difference whether the teachers/carer "care" for the child. Some don't even want to cuddle a crying child. I decided to forget about the montessori place because I felt that to take my kid from an initial extended family to a now shrunken nuclear family and then expect him at three to suddenly be all grown-up and eat packed lunch etc was too much to ask of him.
When I decided that I had more confidence in the carers and centre, I was more at ease when I left my child at childcare even despite the initial separation anxiety. Hope this helps.
 

thanks optopus, yeah.. i get what u mean. i've been looking up addresses of those childcare centres that i've shortlisted and driving pass them to have a look. i always feel more secured if it's a word-of-mouth recommendation but i guess now over here no choice lor.. ;( btw, which ABC is your boy gg to?
 
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